Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

March 6, 2012

A Journey Through the Desert
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. Matthew 4:1-2

Sometimes it's not what's in our lives troubling us most. It's what we must do without. It's the gaping hole that won't be filled.

Feeling a sense of lack, of deprivation, is often referred to as a "desert experience." Desert experiences can take on many forms – spiritual, relational, and physical. When we hit a period of dryness in a particular area of our lives, we instinctively think something must be wrong with us. "Perhaps if I pray more and become holier, I'll feel God's presence again." Or "If I acquire more financial skills, I'll finally be able to afford what I want." Or "If I become more loveable, I'll finally find someone to marry." So we strive, trying to fill in the gaps in hopes we can earn the blessing.

In our striving, we may be missing out on an opportunity to grow in our faith. Sometimes, a desert experience is necessary in order to bear greater fruit later on. Some of the greatest Saints embraced desert experiences as spiritually profitable.

Elisabeth Leseur, a French upper-class housewife in the early 20th century, spent much time in relational and spiritual deserts throughout her marriage to her husband, a professed atheist. In her diary, later published as The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur, she recorded times of "complete resignation, but without joy or any inner consolation." Later, when reflecting on her faith, she writes, "And yet through all these trials and in spite of the lack of interior joy, there is in my soul some central place, which all these waves of sorrow cannot reach." Elisabeth's perseverance in seeking Christ in the desert later inspired the conversion of her husband.

In the Bible, periods of physical deprivation often preceded key moments in salvation history. Moses wrote the Ten Commandments during a 40-day fast (Exodus 34:28). And it was after a lengthy fast that Elijah heard God's still, small voice (1 Kings 19:. We see in the passage above that Christ literally ventured into the desert for his own 40-day fast in preparation for what was to come – our salvation through His sacrificial death.

Now, I'm not advocating starving yourself or allowing clinical depression to go untreated. Yet, in the short time we're here on earth, periods of darkness or barrenness – whether voluntary or involuntary -- can be used by God for great purposes.

Lent is traditionally a 40-day period when believers purposely descend into the "desert" in order to contemplate Christ's suffering and to hear God's still, small voice more effectively. Although I don't love to suffer – in even small ways – God has used Lent to teach me that the desert has a beauty all its own. That's because God values the sacrifices of His children. Not that he takes pleasure in our pain, but He uses lack to refine us and draw us closer to Him so that later we may know joy on a deeper level, beyond what our five senses can currently discern.

Of course, we're not meant to live forever in the season of Lent. We know, with confidence, that after Christ's suffering and sacrifice, Easter morning came. Yet, Lent is a season set aside to remind believers today that we are still inhabitants of the "Shadowlands," as C.S. Lewis liked to call them. We are not in heaven, and we have work to do. Though we may experience beauty and joy in this life, nothing can fully satisfy us except God's plan awaiting us in the fullness of time.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Decide on one luxury you regularly enjoy and give it up until Easter. It can be a type of food, a behavior (like watching TV or a using critical words in your relationships), or money (donated to a cause instead of spent on yourself). In its place, increase time spent in quiet prayer. If you're currently having a "desert experience" in your life, be encouraged by knowing God is near.

Further Reading

Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 – 18
Joel 2: 12 – 18
10 Lenten Traditions to Enrich Your Family's Easter Celebration
Secrets to Fasting and Prayer

[Judy Harder]

God's Will: So Simple it's Hard
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?

Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.

Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?

Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.

So why do we seek for more?

I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."

We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.

The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!

At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"

And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40, which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.

The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."

At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).

It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"

Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?

No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"

Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.

Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before the payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)

Further Reading

Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will

[Judy Harder]

The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV

"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."

Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?

What seems to elude most Christians is a daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and how to fix our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God.  When that happens, the world squeezes us into its way of thinking. To quote Schaeffer on this...

"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. meaning everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."

Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. So, as an antidote, he points us to classic Scriptures that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.

For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."

Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is viewed simply as a sociological tool... a mere psychological mechanism."

Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...

"...we have thrust upon us the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."

Losing the reality of the supernatural is no small, insignificant detail. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When it is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
Are there any barnacles of naturalism built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Ask God for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures... 

For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15

[Judy Harder]

God Has a Plan... Really
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-  Jeremiah 29:11

I had a rough time after graduating college. The economy was in the tank, and I was having trouble finding work. I was living with my parents, missed all my friends, constantly bored, and I was probably the only person from my university that had graduated without a girlfriend, wife, or fiancée.

I can remember on one particularly bad day, my mother came up to me and said, "Ryan, God has a plan." I don't remember what I said to that, hopefully something polite, but what I do remember is that underneath I completely snapped. I hate it when people tell me God has a plan. I wanted to scream, "I don't care if God has a plan! What about my plans? What about my goals, my dreams?  Does God care about them? Would God like to share this ingenious little plan of his, or is it just going to be a big surprise for later?"

Maybe you're like me. Maybe sometimes the future looks dark and hearing someone say, "God has a plan" is the equivalent to rubbing salt in an open wound. If you are, I've got some good news for you: the Bible is full of people like us.

David was promised to become the next king of Israel. But before that happened he found himself on the run from a half-crazy Saul who wanted to kill him.
Daniel and his friends became leaders and high officials, spreading God's word to Babylon. Of course, first they had to be kidnapped, renamed, and face death on multiple occasions.
Finally, Jesus' disciples believed they had finally found the one true Messiah, and then had to watch the Son of God be executed like a common criminal. Do you think there were ever moments when each of them wondered, "Does God really have a plan?"           
The truth is, God really does have a plan. We never know what tomorrow may bring, and we never know how past events, even a painful ones, might be used by God to create a brighter future. Life is tough, but that does not mean God doesn't care. He knows what he's doing; he's got a plan.         

Intersecting Faith and Life
Take some time to be alone and talk with God

Further Reading
Ephesians 1:4

[Judy Harder]

March 12, 2012

It's Good for Your Character
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5, NIV

I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing and was attended and led by many seminary professors and students.

Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.

From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations on sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them being said (or similar concepts) by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.

"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:

"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."

When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.

But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive to us pilgrims travelling life's road on our spiritual journeys:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Now, let's break down this outlook:

Consider it pure joy.How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective (Psa. 16:8-11).
 
Testing develops perseverance.In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him (Psa. 25:4-10).
 
Perseverance must finish its work.We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of our fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing (1 Peter 4:12-19).
 
Be mature and complete.When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today (1 Cor. 13:10-12).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and then praise your merciful Savior.

Further Reading:

2 Cor. 4:7-12, MSG

Phil. 1:21, NIV

Heb. 10:32-39, MSG

"When We All Get to Heaven"

Words: Eliza E. Hewitt (1898)

Music: Emily D. Wilson

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will overspread the sky;

But when traveling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh


When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory!

[Judy Harder]

March 13, 2012


Renewal in the Desert
By Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor



"Therefore I am now going to allure her [Israel]; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." - Hosea 2:14

The prophet Hosea certainly had one of the least enviable jobs ever. God commanded him to take a wife who both God and Hosea knew would be unfaithful, so Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute. They had several children together, but at length she went back to her old ways. She left Hosea, went back to her lovers, and ended up betrayed into the slave market.

Hosea then did the unthinkable. He bought her back.

"The LORD said to me, 'Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress...' So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." (Hosea 3:1-3)

In a very real sense, Hosea redeemed his wayward bride. Instead of leaving her to the natural consequences, he brought her back into the covenant of marriage.

From the very beginning, the Lord makes it clear to Hosea that the pain of betrayal, ingratitude, and inconstant nature of Gomer was nothing less than God himself experienced at the hands of his bride, the people of Israel. Idolatry far exceeded faithfulness to the covenant, and the nation became increasingly entangled with foreign kingdoms, against God's direct commandment. They were the wayward bride, and their fate would be no less than Gomer's. Hosea assured every Israelite that the natural consequences of their action - slavery and destitution - were coming.

And yet the Lord did not abandon them. Instead, when everything they had trusted was stripped away, he pursued them. God said,

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her ... I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion." (Hosea 2:14,19)

Once emptied of its treasures, its gods, and its affluence, Israel found that they were not an object of ultimate wrath, but of ultimate mercy. All this despite the broken covenants, promises, and ingratitude toward the God who had already saved them from slavery. The commentator Matthew Henry notes the incredible grace displayed here in the Old Testament:

"When it was said, She forgot me, one would think it should have followed, 'Therefore I will abandon her, I will forget her, I will never look after her more.' No, Therefore I will allure her. God's thoughts and ways of mercy are infinitely above ours; his reasons are all fetched from within himself, and not from any thing in us; nay, his goodness takes occasion from man's badness to appear so much the more illustrious... the design is plainly to magnify free grace to those on whom God will have mercy purely for mercy's sake."

Let's never forget that in God's hands, even the desert is a place of restoration.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in the desert right now? Financially? Relationally? Spiritually? Take comfort in knowing that God strips away our luxuries to return our focus where it belongs.

She shall be as a traveller that not only knows not which way to go, of many that are before him, but that finds no way at all to go forward. ... The disappointments we meet with in our pursuits of satisfaction in the creature should, if nothing else will do it, drive us at length to the Creator, in whom alone it is to be had. - Hosea 2: 6-12

God will have us to know, not only that we have all our creature-comforts and enjoyments from him, but that he has still an incontestable right and title to them, that they are more his than ours, and therefore are to be used for him, and accounted for to him. He will therefore take their plenty away from them, because they have forfeited it by disowning his right, as a tenant by copy of court-roll, who holds at the will of his lord, forfeits his estate if he makes a feoffment of it as though he were a freeholder. He will recover it, will free or deliver it, that it may be no longer abused, as the creature is said to be delivered from the bondage of corruption under which it groans, Rom. 8:21. 

[Judy Harder]

March 14, 2012

A Clear Conscience
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6: 12-13

This time of year tends to inspire a certain level of introspection among people. The other night I attended a Bible and catechism study at a friend's apartment. To kick off our evening, my friend's husband read an "examination of conscience." After opening with prayer, Keith read what Jesus said was the greatest commandment: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22: 37). He then proceeded to read a litany of ways we can potentially fail to love God. The list was achingly thorough.

I didn't feel terribly comfortable as I felt my perceived "goodness" melt away.

"Sin" is not a common term used in our culture today. It's much easier to speak of our shortcomings in the context of psychology or environmental influences or biological predispositions. But the truth is, as creatures of free will, sometimes we just decide to do the wrong thing. We act selfishly when we could have been selfless. We get angry when we should have shown mercy. We seek personal gain at the cost of another.

But the point of this exercise was not to shame us. We listened to Keith read the list with full knowledge that:

a) All present in the room are guilty of falling short.

c) As creatures with free will, we can make better choices tomorrow.

b) God's mercy and transforming grace is available to us every moment of every day to help us shed the "old self" and put on the new.

The most profound result of doing an examination of conscience had little to do with feeling guilty – instead, it renewed our appreciation for God's great love for us. Romans 5: 8 sums this up beautifully and for that reason it's quoted often: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Christ, with full knowledge of our darkest moments, died out of love for you and me when most of us wouldn't sacrifice half as much for a virtuous friend.

But we can't stop with this realization – we can't presume on God's mercy, doing as we please thinking "Oh, I can just repent later...." This attitude would be a terrible sin in it of itself. With full knowledge of Christ's sacrificial love, how we live our lives now matters more than ever. So, what if we took this time before Easter to tackle sin more intentionally in our lives? What if we identified our sin, confessed it to the Lord, and committed to practical ways of replacing each sin with a virtue?

Of course, it would be daunting to try to achieve perfection – we simply can't "acquire" holiness purely with our own efforts. But I am seeing in my own life that a more purposeful approach to sin is an integral part of maturing as a follower of Christ. Not to mention, "coming clean" with God can feel incredibly freeing.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Honestly examine your life in light of God's Word. A good way to start an examination of conscience is by praying Psalm 139, verse 23-24: "Search me, O God..." Then, hold up your life to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17). Don't forget to consider what resides in your heart, not just what you've physically done (example: "Thou shalt not murder" -- consider if you've held lingering hatred for someone. Or "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods" – consider if you, out of envy, spread gossip about someone). Confess, perhaps even to your pastor or an accountability partner, the ways you've sinned against God, thank God for His forgiveness, and ask Him for the grace to change. Don't get discouraged if you have many areas that need change – we're all works in progress.

Further Reading

Ephesians 4: 21-32
James 5: 16
How Repentance Heals the Broken Heart

[Judy Harder]

March 15, 2012

Kill Me Now
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
Numbers 11:15

...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die."I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:4

Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah 4:3

What kind of a person feels like this? A schmo like me, at times, sure. Maybe you, or people you know. Surely not the heroes of the Old Testament.

Well, truth is, even God's greatest leaders and prophets got to the point in their respective stories where, even after witnessing indescribable miracles and blessings, their circumstances were so overwhelming, impossible and undesirable their attitude was, "Just kill me now, Lord!" Exhausted in body, soul, and spirit, they cried out that they had had enough. They could go no longer in their own power.

The first quote above is from Moses, who had a People Problem. The wandering Israelites were hungry, and as usual, it fell to Moses to solve the problem. He cried out to the Lord, "Was it I who conceived these people? Was it I who brought them forth?" He looked around and couldn't figure out how to satisfy everyone.

The second quote is from Elijah, who had a Pity Problem. This was a prophet who had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and witnessed the end of a long drought. But just a few verses later, one vow from one wicked queen has him in such despair that he fears he can't go on like this.

The third quote is from Jonah, who had a Pouting Problem. He'd finally obeyed to the point of going to Nineveh and preaching repentance, but when the Lord relented and stayed his hand rather than destroying the city, Jonah wasn't happy. He folded his hands and "became angry" that the destruction he forecast never arrived.

Consider who these men were and what they had seen, what the Lord had done through them. Moses parted the Red Sea and led a people out of slavery. Elijah stood strong for Israel during a time of tremendous pagan influence, prayed down fire and rain, and actually never died (so chalk up at least one unanswered prayer!). Jonah is one of the first stories we tell our children, about how God provided a great fish to swallow him for such a period as he could learn about obedience and repentance.

Not only that, but these guys all show up in the Gospels, in one way or another. Moses and Elijah are present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9). In Matthew 12:38-41 (NIV), Jesus tells the Pharisees they won't get any sign from him other than the sign of Jonah, foreshadowing the three days He Himself would spend in the belly of the Earth.

But interestingly enough, Christ apparently never felt this way. He knew His destiny was to die, but even so prayed that such a cup might pass from Him. And let's not forget that He is our example, not Moses, not Elijah, and not Jonah, great as they were.

When we feel the way that these guys did, we need to realize that anyone wanting to die is under attack. And our enemy can bring that attack through people, pity, and pouting. It comes when our body is not healthy, our soul is not happy, and our spirit is not holy.

But conveniently enough, Paul shows us a prayer that covers all these bases. He writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (23-24).

You aren't alone when you feel like you can't go on, or like you would be better off dead than standing strong in the face of the overwhelming task God has given you, especially when you are weak in body, soul, and spirit, and the enemy is on the attack. And truly, it is comforting to know that some of the Bible's greatest faith warriors and miracle workers shared these feelings. But it doesn't mean they were right. Let us not indulge hopelessness, for it may always be found. Instead, let us remember that we serve a God of hope and of miracles and we follow the One who never copped to people, pity, or pouting, but willingly laid His life down.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Develop a plan that gives you exercise and rest in proper amounts for your body, soul, and spirit, so that you will be less prone to attack.

[Judy Harder]

March 16, 2012

Light in the Darkness
by Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Have you ever been in complete darkness? I don't mean this figuratively, I mean physically. Have you ever walked in a place where there was absolutely no light? I have, and it's an experience I'll never forget. When I was in high school, my family went on a vacation to Mammoth Cave National Park.

Mammoth Cave, for those of you who don't know, is the longest known system of caves in the world and the park, which itself is no small place, covers only a small portion of it. My family arrived at the park early in the morning and quickly joined the group of people who had come for a guided tour of the cave. As we slowly descended underground, our guide pointed out interesting rock formations, different types of minerals, and the occasional historical tidbit about Mammoth Cave. It was all very interesting, but the biggest moment on the tour was when the guide led us into a large cavern and asked everyone to take a seat.   

"In a moment we're going to turn off the lights," he explained cheerfully, "That way you can get an idea of what it was like for people to explore the cave in the early days." As soon as the lights went out, everything was pitch black. I held my hand to my face but couldn't see a thing. Over thirty people were on the tour, but had they not entered the cave with me, I might have thought I was alone. It was complete darkness. Then our guide struck a match, and that little flame illuminated the entire cavern.

"Amazing, isn't it?" our guide chuckled, "Bet you never thought a single match could light up a whole cave." He doesn't know the half of it. The Bible has a lot to say about light and darkness. To quote the book of John,

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." – John 3:19-21   

In many ways, our world is as dark as the caverns of Mammoth Cave. It can leave us lost, confused, and unsure of the things around us. But just as our world resemble the cave, so do Jesus words resemble the little match struck in the darkness. The light may be small, and we still may stumble in the darkness, but if we let it, that tiny light can illuminate even the darkest corners of our world. So take a moment and ask yourself, do you have the light of Christ in your life?

Intersecting Faith and Life

Pick a book in the Bible and start studying its chapters. Work to improve your knowledge of Christ.

Further Reading   

  Matthew 4:16                 

[Judy Harder]

Deconstructing David
by Ryan Duncan
Editor at TheFish.com

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7

I first time I read the story of King David, it was from a small, animated Bible my parents had bought me as a boy. As I flipped through the pages of that little book, I can remember looking on David as something of a superhero. I mean, think about, he defeated Goliath with nothing but a sling and five stones. After that, he became King of Israel, replacing Saul, who had done a pretty terrible job to begin with. He was called a man after God's own heart, and nothing could touch him.   

After a while though, I began to see the life of David as more of a fairytale. I still believed it to be true, that wasn't the problem, but a part of me resented God for showing David so much favor. Why had his life been so perfect when the rest of us had to struggle? Why did God allow so many people to suffer pain, but always seem to step up for David? It wasn't until I was a teenager that I stumbled onto this psalm written by David, take a look.                       

"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you." – Psalm 69:1-5

Now that I'm older I realize David's life wasn't perfect, in a lot of ways it was actually pretty lousy. He was hounded by Saul for years, he lost loved ones to sickness and war, and he even committed some pretty serious sins. Being a man after God's own heart didn't mean David would be shielded from harm, and being a Christian doesn't guarantee us prosperity. The thing that made David a great man, and the thing that makes our lives as Christians meaningful, was that he never turned away from God. We will all experience trials and tribulations in our lives, but by trusting God we can overcome them.

That is how we become people after God's own heart, and in the end, that's all God really wants. 



Intersecting Faith and Life

Take a moment to look past your troubles and consider what can bring you closer to God.

Further Reading

Psalm 69